[hjoseph7]

I finally managed to download a Trial Version of Paint Shop Pro. I already have Photoshop 5, Photoshop Elements 12, ACD-see Ultimate , Lightoom vs 4, Helicon Filter, Picture Window Pro vs. 5, Picasa, Gimp vs. 2, Pentax Utility 4.


Do I really need another photo editing software package ?


What are the advantages of Paint Shop Pro ?

[jatrax]

My personal preference is to focus on one or two packages (the absolute minimum to get the work done) that do what you need and ignore all the others. My reasoning is that learning a software package well enough to master it takes at lot of time. Perhaps hundreds of hours of use and study. Doing that on multiple programs wastes too much time that could be better spent creating.

I have the Lightroom / Photoshop photographer package and that is what I focus on. If I find something I need to do that cannot be done in those programs then I suppose I would evaluate something else but so far I have not needed to do that.

I also have Gimp (not used in years), Photomatix (rarely used now that Photoshop has decent HDR capability), NIK plugins (rarely used except for Silver FX). DO each of the other packages have some special thing that they do? Yes, of course. Is it worth the time to learn a new program? Not to me. YMMV.

[Wingincamera]

I use Lightroom & Photoshop CS6, but before getting into Photoshop I did use Paint Shop Pro, I think verson 8 was the last one I used. I liked it for the price and would still be using it but my wife was enrolled in college and we were able to get the student discount. But like Jatrax said, I only want the two programs, that's hard enough for me to master.

[stevebrot]

What are the advantages of Paint Shop Pro ?

None, except possibly price. I seldom use my copy, mostly because of foolishness regarding color space on round trip from Lightroom and HDR merges.


Steve

[Kerrowdown]

Do I really need another photo editing software package ?

Your kidding right... with that much software at your disposal you should be able to put men on Mars.

I only use the CC versions of Lightroom and Photoshop, between these two I'm lucky enough to say they meet all my needs.

[slip]

No need for Paintshop Pro. It is an inferior product compared to Adobe products
Your Photoshop version is really old you should think about upgrading

Randy

[RobA_Oz]

When you said you had Photoshop 5, did you mean CS5? Photoshop on its own is a fairly cumbersome way of editing large numbers of image files. Bridge and Camera Raw are my most used components of CS5, and I'm struggling to see how Photoshop CC will significantly benefit me. I can't see how Paint Shop Pro would benefit you in any way, unless you were planning to sell your other editing software.

PS: the Topaz plug-ins are a great addition to Photoshop, I find.

[stevebrot]

No need for Paintshop Pro. It is an inferior product compared to Adobe products

Unfortunately, the least expensive Adobe alternative with similar capabilities is about 12x the cost. To be honest, I would suggest The GIMP as the most viable alternative to Photoshop and Lightroom as the most appropriate tool for the vast majority of digital post-processing. A few other points:

• The various open source RAW converters are a good alternative to Lightroom (LINK to List)
• Photoshop Elements is OK, but incomplete and frustrating in use
• PaintShop Pro has what is quite possibly the WORST Raw converter on the planet and should not be used for that purpose

Steve

[LennyBloke]

....PaintShop Pro has what is quite possibly the WORST Raw converter on the planet and should not be used for that purpose
Steve

PaintShop Pro X8 Ultimate is bundled with AfterShot 2.0 (and a few other bits) - I believe this is one of the better RAW converters around ?

As an all-round package it seems pretty capable and the fact that you can buy it outright could save you a fair amount of cash (compared to the Adobe packages). I've been looking around for reviews by people who've actually used it (as opposed to the WebEds who've looked at the upgraded features and regurgitated many of the packaging claims) to get an independent view - but I think we've reached the point where the dominance of Adobe means it is unlikely to be switched to by many photographers.

[RKKS08]

PS: the Topaz plug-ins are a great addition to Photoshop, I find.

I still have a very old version of PaintShop Pro (PP 5) on my computer, for one reason:
It handles many plug-ins for Photoshop, including Topaz deNoise.

By the way, even IrfanView excepts a lot of the PS plug-ins.

PS: I never in my life bought any photo editing software. What I have, is either freeware, or free outdated full versions of existing programs, which sometimes come with magazines. Like the PaintShop Pro 5.03 I got for nothing when they introduced the next version.

[stevebrot]

PaintShop Pro X8 Ultimate is bundled with AfterShot 2.0 (and a few other bits) - I believe this is one of the better RAW converters around ?

As an all-round package it seems pretty capable and the fact that you can buy it outright could save you a fair amount of cash (compared to the Adobe packages). I've been looking around for reviews by people who've actually used it (as opposed to the WebEds who've looked at the upgraded features and regurgitated many of the packaging claims) to get an independent view - but I think we've reached the point where the dominance of Adobe means it is unlikely to be switched to by many photographers.

I can't say regarding PSP X8 or AfterShot. I own PSP 6 (purchased summer of 2014) and perhaps Corel has addressed the deficiencies. With any luck they may also have better support for other than sRBG color space too.

As for direct purchase of Adobe product, yes, the cloud subscriptions are a pain, but PhotoShop Elements is still available on DVD for about $60 USD and comes bundled with Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) as its RAW converter. Elements is a decent product and a great value at that price.

My suggestion is that people try the demo versions prior to purchase, particularly if they intend to integrate editing software with products such as Lightroom, RawTherapy, or Darktable.


Steve

(...not a real fan of Adobe, but less so of Corel in recent years...)

[NS_Sailor]

After I was unable to reinstall my version of Photo Elements on my new computer and if I wished to upgrade to Photoshop or Lightroom I would have to pay an exorbitant annual Licensing fee or stick with Elements. I then discovered Paint Shop Pro Ultimate version 2019 with a 3 year license and a bunch of free plugins for less than annual licensing fee for Photoshop or Lightroom. I've recently upgraded from the 2020 version to the 2022 version and so far I haven't been disappointed

Many of the posters on this Thread have used many of the older versions and I admit that there were many issues with the software but I feel the software package has jumped in leaps and bounds. One particular option is they have macro'd may of the processes that required the use of layers to achieve results like un sharpen mask, focus softening and depth of field
The 2022 version as also added AI Backgound replacement software in various forms
These particular images were created with Pic-to Painting Plugin supplied with the 2020 version of the Package

[cobbu2]

I was a regular user of PS Elements (for basic post-processing). When I bought my KP, B&H had PSP 2020 bundled with the purchase, so I thought I'd try it out. If there was one thing where I thought PSP was better, it was the clone-stamp tool. Other than that, I saw little advantage in my limited use.

[fs999]

PaintShop Pro has what is quite possibly the WORST Raw converter on the planet and should not be used for that purpose

I use it everyday. Nothing to complain on the raw converter. It's an other way to work, that's all.
I have version 2020 and did not upgrade to 2021 and 2022 because the new features doesn't interests me.
It has for me, the best dust remover tool for my digital and scanned b&w photos.

[stevebrot]

I use it everyday. Nothing to complain on the raw converter. It's an other way to work, that's all.
I have version 2020 and did not upgrade to 2021 and 2022 because the new features doesn't interests me.
It has for me, the best dust remover tool for my digital and scanned b&w photos.

I made that comment in 2015 based on experience with PSP 6, that I had been using for at least a year at the time. They may have cleaned up their act since then. I'm glad it works for you!


Steve